Happy Summer Everyone! Now that December and the holiday season is over, we can enjoy all that the Aussie summer has to offer - heatwaves and all. Between relaxing at the beach or by the pool, it's the perfect time of chill in the front of the tellie and binge some series that you've been meaning to watch. So before you head back to school/univeristy or go back to work after some time-off, here's five series you should be watching this Summer! Lazy summer days are the perfect time to have a binge-session. And while I'm always tempted to rewatch the likes of Friends, Charmed, The O.C., McLeod's Daughter and The Tudors, there's a hundred shows out there that are perfect for Summer binge days that don't involve rewatching shows you've seen a thousand times. And with streaming services like Netflix and Stan at your fingertips, you'll never be short of series to get started on. The first series is a newbie that I'm sure you've seen popping up all over your social feeds - from articles about the series to others asking if they should watch it, Netflix's You is definitely a series you need to watch. Based on Caroline Kepnes' 2014 book of the same name, You is a thriller following bookstore manager Joe (played by Gossip Girl himself, Pen Badgley), who becomes obsessed with college student Beck (Elizabeth Lail). He begins stalking her social media, watching her in her apartment, following her, and trying to get rid of those closest to her. Spanning ten episodes, this series is not for the faint of heart, and you'll definitely be changing your social media privacy settings and closing your curtains when you're finished. The series also stars Shay Mitchell (yes, she's gone from chasing -A to chasing Gossip Girl), who is fantastic as Beck's wealthy friend Peach. There's a season two coming at some point soon, based on the second book in the series 'Hidden Bodies', so we're not quiet finished with Joe just yet. And while you wait for season two, why not read the books, which are just as creepy and intriguing as the series! For something a lot lighter, there's UK comedy drama Crashing, which is also available on Netflix. I've spoken about this series before, but it's one that I highly recommend, so naturally I'm talking about it again! As another short series, comprising of only six episodes, it's a great on to watch for a bit of easy afternoon bingeing. The series follows six very different twenty-somethings living as property guardians of a disused hospital. It's like living on a university campus but for adults, and there's lots of crazy antics that ensue. It's such a kooky mix of people all forced to live togther. There's Lulu (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who's a new arrival to the hospital and childhood friend of Anthony (Damien Moloney). He's engaged to perfectionist Kate (Louise Ford), who doesn't really like Lulu. Then there's Sam (Jonathan Bailey), who's Anthony's sex-obsessed friend growing closer to the awkward but sweet Fred (Amit Shah). Topping it all off is French artist Melody (Julie Dray) who finds a muse in the form of divorced Colin (Adrian Scarborough). I honestly wish there was a season two of this fantastic series, but one will just have to do. Definitely the perfect watch for anyone who loves British comedy. Back to a new release, and in December 2018, Netflix released it's first Australian Original series in the form of Tidelands. Again, this is another short series with just eight episodes, but they are eight fantastic episodes. The series follows Cal McTeer (Charlotte Best) who returns to her hometown of Orphelin Bay after ten years in juvie and prison. Upon her return, she begins to discover the town's drug-smuggling underbelly, which leads her to the inhabitants of a nearby commune, L'Attente, the home of half-human, half-sirens known as Tidelanders. This series is full of some seriously hot actor and actresses - Elsa Pataky plays Tidelander Queen Adrielle, Brazillian god Marco Pigossi plays Tidelander Dylan, Cal's brother Augie is played by Aussie Aaron Jakubenko, and Mattias Inwood plays Cal's friend Corey. Like seriously, just the combined sexiness of the cast is enough to get anyone to tune in, but the story itself is an interesting one. I admit, it takes about two episodes to get into the story, but once you're in, you'll be eager to see how the series ends. While a lot of answers were given in the season final, there's potential for a second season, which I'm hoping we get, especially when the fate of some of our favourite characters was left hanging in the balance. And honestly, I just need more shirtless Marco Pigossi in my life... Let's go a lot more old-school with the Degrassi universe. I am planning on doing a post solely relating to the Degrassi franchise, but for now, here's a brief look a why this franchise makes for great Summer bingeing. The franchise itself is made up of five series - The Kids Of Degrassi Street (1976-1986), Degrassi Junior High (1987-1989), Degrassi High (1989-1991), Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001-2005), and Degrassi: Next Class (2016-2017) - which means you don't actually need to watch it from start to finish. Although, I do recommend doing that, you can jump into the franchise at any series point without having to have seen previous series. On a whole, the franchise follows the lives of teenagers attending Degrassi Junior High and later Degrassi High, and in the Next Generation series, also looks at the adults (who had previously been students in the Junior High and High series). While it may be a teen drama, it's one that can definitely be enjoyed by adults, and the original three series are very nostalgic (hell, even TNG is nostalgic!). The issues that the series covered were not only very forward and topical for the 80s and 90s, but they are still so relevant today. Despite 40 years having passed since the first series in the franchise, it's still so relatable to today's society, just with a lack of technology. And of course, one of the biggest names to come out of the Degrassi franchise is Drake, or Aubrey as he was better known as then. No matter where you start with this franchise, it's definitely one to watch. I could honestly talk about the Degrassi franchise all day, so you can see why I'm planning a separate blog post in the future! Moving on now to the final series you should binge this summer, and we are back with another recent Netflix Original (Netflix just have some great original series, shoot me). This is one I'm sure you've all watched by now, but if not, you really do need to binge Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Whether you were a fan of the 90s comedy Sabrina The Teenage Witch or the few animated series about the blonde witch and her talking cat, this series is completely different. You don't even need to have seen the previous adaptations or have any knowledge of Sabrina Spellman to enjoy what this dark supernatural has to offer. Sabrina's (Kiernan Shipka) sixteenth birthday approaches, and it's the day she must pledge her name to the Dark Lord Satan and give up her mortal life, which includes her two best friends, Roz (Jaz Sinclair) & Susie (Lachlan Watson), and boyfriend Harvey (Ross). In the magic world, she has her aunts Hilda (Lucy Davis) & Zelda (Miranda Otto), as well as cousin Ambrose (Chance Perdomo) (who's freaking amazing), but being half-human, half-witch, she wants to have both worlds and refuses to pledge. As she navigates her already complicated life, she also has to deal with Mary Wardwell/Madam Satan (Michelle Gomez), who's pulling puppet strings, rival Prudence (Tati Gabrielle), and High Priest of the Church of Night, Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle). The eleven episodes that make up Part One of season one are a crazy rollercoaster ride and a must-watch for everyone.
There's so many other shows I could have recommended, but these are five that a highly recommend making time for this Summer (or Winter if you're in the Northern Hemisphere!). And with all but one being short series, you'll be able to binge your way through all of them, with time to spare for other shows. Let me know some shows you think I should binge this summer, because it's not like I need to add more to my watch-list! Happy Bingeing! Victoria :) |
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